textproduct: Quad Cities

KEY MESSAGES

- Above normal temperatures and mostly dry conditions are forecast into early next week, with slightly cooler temperatures possible toward the middle to end of the week.

SHORT TERM /THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT/

Issued at 215 PM CDT Fri Oct 23 2026

The pleasant late October weather will continue into Saturday with well above normal temperatures and dry conditions.

A 500mb ridge axis will remain situated over the Southern Plains to Mid/Upper Mississippi Valley region, bringing partly sunny skies (passing mid to high clouds) and warm temperatures with highs in the 70s; lows tonight and Sat. night will be in the 50s. Otherwise, expect steady south-southeast winds 5-15 mph, with higher gusts at times during the afternoon hours.

LONG TERM /SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/

Issued at 215 PM CDT Fri Oct 23 2026

By Sunday, a strong low over Hudson Bay will dislodge high pressure from the Great Lakes, pushing it eastward. A diffuse frontal boundary from this system will sag southeastward from the northern Plains, eventually reaching the CWA by Monday and bringing a cooldown to at least part of the CWA. However, model timing still remains quite poor with regard to the front, resulting in a near 10 degree spread across the northwestern half. With this slight cooldown, highs are expected to fall into the mid 60s to mid 70s but remain above the normal highs for late October.

Looking ahead to next week, while guidance has a wide spread regarding that pattern aloft, an eventual return to a more active pattern is expected. Some models, such as the ECMWF, favor a west CONUS trough and eastern CONUS ridge, while the GFS favors a more shallow, near- zonal flow with embedded waves. While the pattern aloft remains unclear this far out, a continuation of our above-normal temperature streak appears likely through the end of October with highs generally in the 60s to 70s.

Additionally, while guidance continues to trend drier along the boundary on Monday, precipitation chances trend higher toward the end of the week. However, there is plenty of uncertainty on placement and timing of systems this far out and the transition to an active pattern may hold off until next weekend. What will favor more widespread precipitation, in addition to a more active pattern, is an increasingly moist airmass with PWATs near 0.8-1.0 inches, or around the 75-90th percentiles.

AVIATION /00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z SATURDAY/

Issued at 604 PM CDT Fri Oct 23 2026

Winds under 10 knots and from the east southeast to southeast through 14z/24. After 14z/24 deeper mixing will begin turnings winds more southerly around 10 knots with gusts up to 20 knots.

DVN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

IA...None. IL...None. MO...None.